Broich or Berisha? Who is the A-League's MVP?

You're an A-League coach with an open chequebook, so who do you buy? Brisbane Roar's Thomas Broich or Besart Berisha?

Maybe that's what Frank Farina was pondering as the two former Bundesliga players joined forces to dissect Sydney FC. Forget the result, the Sky Blues were played off the park by Brisbane Roar, who thanks to Berisha's tempestuous nature spent two-thirds of Friday's match playing with 10 men.

That is the nature of the beast, and Berisha is a beast in front of goal - 46 goals in 72 games since he arrived in Australia. Any club, in any league, would be impressed with that.

Farina, certainly, was impressed enough with Berisha to extricate himself from his chair to comfort the former Albanian international as he headed down the tunnel for an early shower. Despite repeated attempts to coax Farina to reveal exactly what he said, he played a straight bat: ''That's on a need to know basis.'' He did admit he thought Berisha was a "pretty good bloke".

What we do know is that Farina, or at least Sydney FC, could have been looking forward to having Berisha wearing Sky Blue next season if things had worked out differently. At the start of the year Berisha had agreed to terms, but vascillation by the Sydney FC board over the future of Alessandro Del Piero put paid to what would have been a massive recruiting coup.

Instead Berisha is heading to Melbourne Victory, while it seems certain Del Piero won't be around next season either. Which begs the question: Do you buy marquees, or manufacture them? Sydney FC will now have to purchase a shiny new one - Frank Lampard is the early tip - while the Victory will get the benefits of Brisbane Roar having manufactured theirs. As the Roar have also done with Broich.

Advertisement

So, again, if you're a coach with a blank cheque, who do you buy? It's a fascinating conversation.

Broich, by popular opinion, is the best foreigner we've had in the A-League. Quite possibly, he's the best foreigner we've had since our game went national in 1977. The memory of the majestic Milan Ivanovic in full flight - the cultured Serbian libero went on to win 59 caps for Australia - keeps springing to mind, but it's hard to go past Broich as our no.1 import. The German, like Berisha, is certainly good enough to be playing in the world's best league, the Bundesliga, so we have to be eternally grateful we have him.

Blessed again we were at Moore Park, on a bumpy, heavy surface, as Broich controlled the pattern, the direction, and the mood of a game which would have challenged lesser players and lesser teams than Brisbane Roar. It's not only the delicate close skills, the innate understanding of the game's tempo, or the craft at picking the right opening at the right time which sets Broich apart. It's his appetite for the contest, his energy for the challenge, and his courage in wanting the ball in every situation, all the time. The complete package? As close as we'll see in the A-League.

So what about Berisha? A charging bull, the sort of striker who makes every defender work for every touch, who goes in where it hurts, and who has the gamecraft to extract the maximum advantage out of every situation. Berisha can score from both feet, from any distance, and is masterful in the air. Even better he plays best when he's on the edge - a player who brings the crowd into the game - for or against him doesn't matter. Maybe that's why Farina likes him so much. He reminds him of himself.

So who do you choose? The provider, or the finisher? Tough choice. How fortunate Mike Mulvey is to have both in his dressing room, not least because of the mutual respect between the two. Broich will miss Berisha when he's gone, and vice versa. But not before Brisbane have claimed another championship, which surely they will.

So...drum roll...I'd choose Berisha. A rolled-gold goalscorer, heading into the peak years of his career. There's this nagging doubt that Broich might not be so influential in a lesser team, and the Roar are by no means a two-man band. Berisha, however, will score goals for any team, at any level, in any conditions. In the modern game, where so much focus is on stopping the opposition, that makes Berisha a priceless commodity. The one that got away for Sydney FC will prove to be Melbourne Victory's best-ever signing. I'm convinced of that.